Looks good enough

[Lainers]

I saw the game here and got interested. To my surprise, it's on Game Pass, so I decided to play it there.

The story is interesting but light. It has some good moments and some neutral ones. For those afraid of the "big bad woke wolf", there are pronouns, strong women, and a female protagonist. If you care about that, you don't even need to bother picking up the game. If you don't care, you'll find that the interactions are just fine. With some hours, I just wish I knew if the dialogue choices will have an impact later on.

The controls, at least on the keyboard, are okay. They could be a bit more refined, but it's nothing a little practice won't fix.

The combat isn't about beating everyone up, as stamina is a real factor and makes a big difference. It's a resource that needs to be managed carefully. It reminded me a lot of "No Rest for the Wicked," which I really liked.

It took me a while to find the target lock (I think I didn't pay attention in the tutorial), but I accidentally pressed TAB and it worked. Enemies respawn when you die or change maps. I had PTSD from old games (like Mega Man) and souls like.

Crafting is okay. Since there's no RPG progression, the game bets on equipment upgrades. You'll have sets for different situations, somewhat like in the Monster Hunter franchise. Basically, you have the blueprint (you need to find new ones to unlock items) and resources divided into various categories. With the same blueprint, you can make weapons with different stats based on the quality and type of resource. For example, metal A might give you more damage, while metal B gives you more defense. Something like that. It's a nice option to create your own style or find a solution to deal with certain enemies.

The inventory is sad. There are too many items (crafting resources) for the limited space. Sure, you can unlock more space, but we all know it's never enough.

Overall, I found the game good. A solid 7.5/10 for sure. Maybe even 8/10 compared to other titles out there.

If there's room for criticism, I'd say refining movement and combat are important points. Maybe adding a mechanic to help with stamina, and not making it entirely dependent on armor... I know it's important because of the giants, but a little extra wouldn't hurt. Chests and bags could stay fixed on the ground. I've already thrown several loot bags around with a single sword swing.

Another thing. A lot of people are going to ask you to make XYZ easier, remove mechanics, and complain a lot about other things. I'd say you should filter that. When someone creates a game and chooses the mechanics, it's because there's a vision for the game. Refining what was planned is maintaining your signature; changing things because some people asked for it can backfire. Just look at Star Wars Galaxies.

Wishing you success!

[ChubbiChibbai]

Nice write up.
I'm truly bowled over by this game.

The more i play and progress the more it gives me to play with.

Its such an open game in terms of how it lets you play. You can pretty much do whatever you want. Now i understand the mele parry timing the combat is great. Archery feels a bit of with aim (and some creatures dodge) but im getting better with practice.

The crafting its self is also so open in how you dish out where you want the stats. Its really cool and feels unique to me.

The battle with the dragon i had blew my mind. This massive creature destroying an entire village while i ran for cover scrambling to cool down things with ice so i can have somewhere to hide. Ripping off one of its wings causing it to fly poorly and then battling it for 20 minutes scrambling to find more health. When i finally killed the drake it was flying in midair with me on its back and we both came crashing down and it was slumped half way over a building.

No other game out there has given me the moments that this game is dishing up regularly.

So i agree that many of the 'criticisms' are from people who barely played it.

This game was marketed very poorly. I almost skipped it and i'm glad i took the chance.
Many are going to overlook this and then years down the road you will see it as one of those absolute classic games that everyone talks about . Its a game that you need to really play for a while to fully appreciate.

About the chests being locked to the ground i actually disagree. I love the chaos. The fact i can loose a chest or health vial if i knock it the wrong way. To me that adds natural realism to the game and ties in with its physics / thermodynamics open ended sandbox gameplay.